In writing about autonomous cars, we tend to discuss the advances in (or shortcomings of) self-driving technology. We make assessments based on how well (or how poorly) autonomous vehicles have learned to drive like humans.

In writing about autonomous cars, we tend to discuss the advances in (or shortcomings of) self-driving technology. We make assessments based on how well (or how poorly) autonomous vehicles have learned to drive like humans.

Worried about your car being hacked? The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are, too, and they've published some handy tips to keep you and your ride safe.

Worried about your car being hacked? The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are, too, and they've published some handy tips to keep you and your ride safe.

November's shorter selling period and major holiday didn't ding sales at all--in fact, the long holiday shopping weekend and aggressive Black Friday advertising may have helped boost sales, even though new-car prices continue to climb.

Kelley Blue Book reports the average new car price as $32,769, up more than a percent over last year.

According to J.D. Power and LMC Automotive, the fundamental strength in new-car sales broke through the political turmoil that drew down numbers in September and October. The market analysts predict November sales will come in at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 16.1 million vehicles, up from October's 15.2 million units. LMC predicts sales to settle in at 15.6 million units for the year.

November's numbers give those rosy predictions the ring of truth. Here are the figures, automaker by automaker:

General Motors: GM [NYSE:GM] sold 212,060 vehicles last month, up 14 percent from last November and its best November in six years. Cadillac rose 11.4 percent to 16,172 units; Buick sold 15,072 vehicles, up 13.4 percent; GMC sold 35,727 vehicles, up 19.8 percent; and Chevy sold 145,089 units, up 12.6 percent. Buick Regal rose 83.3 percent, but LaCrosse and Verano were down, double digits; Cadillac ATS sales rose 60 percent and XTS was up 41.5 percent, but CTS and SRX were down. Chevy Corvette sales rose 128.9 percent, and the Malibu was up 40.9 percent; of Chevy's current vehicle lines, only Sonic was down, by 6.1 percent. Finally, GMC sold 7,566 Acadias, up 108.4 percent, in its sixth model year on sale.

Ford: Ford Motor Co. [NYSE:F] sold 190,449 vehicles in November for a 7-percent boost. Lincoln sales rose 17.4 percent to 6,727 units, almost wholly on the new MKZ—which was up 113.8 percent. Ford sold 22,839 Fusions in November, up 51 percent year over year, for its best November ever. Ford's C-Max was off a hefty 50.5 percent, though, and three mainstream models--Edge, Focus, and Taurus--were all off in double digits versus last November. The mainstay F-Series moved 65,501 units, for a 16-percent gain year over year.

Toyota / Lexus / Scion: The Toyota Motor Company [NYSE:TM] said in a sales preview that it sold 178,044 units in November, up 5.9 percent on an adjusted basis, 10.1 percent on an unadjusted basis.

Chrysler: Chrysler Group LLC sold 142,275 vehicles in November, up 16 percent over November 2012; Jeep was up 32 percent to 45,415 units, while Ram rose up 22 percent to 31,255 units; the Chrysler brand's sales were up 12 percent to 21,024 units, and Dodge climbed 4 percent to 41,506 units, while Fiat was down 15 percent to 3,075 units. Jeep sold more Compass and Patriot crossovers, while Fiat's 500 was off 41 percent; Dodge's Dart was up 44 percent, and its Durango climbed 36 percent.

Honda / Acura: American Honda Motor Co. [NYSE:HMC] sold 116,507 vehicles in November, with Honda-brand sales of 101,948 vehicles. With 23,509 sales, the CR-V had its best month ever.

Nissan / Infiniti: Nissan Motor Company [NASDAQ:NSANY] says it sold 106,528 vehicles in November, up 10.7 percent. The Nissan brand accounted for 93,376 units, up 10.8 percent; the Altima and Leaf hit November sales records of 24,604 and 2,003 units respectively. Infiniti was up 10.5 percent, to 13,152 units.

Kia: Kia sales rose from 41,055 units in November 2012 to 45,411 units last month, powered by the arrival of the second-generation Soul hatchback.

Subaru: Subaru had its best November ever with 36,621 sales, up 29.8 percent. On the year, the automaker has sold 384,511 vehicles, having passed last year's sales levels back in October.

BMW / MINI: BMW/MINI reported sales of 36,327 vehicles, down 0.4 percent from the 36,461 vehicles sold in November 2012.

Mercedes-Benz: Mercedes sold 37,345 vehicles across its three brands, and 34,376 with the Mercedes-Benz badge--the latter number up 13.4 percent, powered by the arrival of the new CLA-Class compact.

Volkswagen: With sales of 30,727 units in November, VW was off 16.3 percent. VW has sold 373,689 units year-to-date, putting 400,000 sales within reach for all of 2013. The Jetta was down 12.9 percent; the Passat, down 15.8 percent.

Mazda: Mazda sold 20,754 vehicles in November, off 4.3 percent from November 2012.

Audi: Audi sold 13,636 vehicles in November, a 13-percent gain, and its fourth best month ever in the U.S.

Mitsubishi: Mitsubishi sold 6,071 vehicles in November, up 69.9 percent from the year-ago period.

Jaguar / Land Rover: Jaguar sold 1,446 units, up 103 percent; Land Rover sold 4,601 units in November. Their combined 6,047 units represent a 37-percent gain on November 2012.

Volvo: Volvo reported U.S. sales of 4,233 units, down 31.1 percent from November 2012.

Porsche: Porsche sold 3,966 vehicles in November, up 3 percent; year to date, Porsche is up 22 percent, at 39,077 cars and SUVs.

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